Tuesday, January 11, 2005

I did say I would exercise more after the New Year

Can't quite get yourself to the gym? Feeling unmotivated or just a little too tired? Do you find yourself opening the fridge every 10 minutes just because you're bored? Have you tried and tried again to squeeze in time for exercise? Well, when all else fails...get a puppy.


Introducing Lola, my 7 week old Boston Terrier...scratch that...my 4 legged personal trainer. For abs she sacrifices her self-dignity to have me laughing so hard it's got to be the equivalent of 500 sit ups. For cardio she pretends she doesn't know she's supposed to relieve herself in the great outdoors and makes me bolt over to her to then get some squats in while I grab her and race outside which, as I'm sure she well knows, also involves step aerobics. I've never been one for waking up early (let alone getting up to exercise) and she not only has me out of bed to start my day at 5:00 am, but we also get up around 1:00 and 3:00 as well. She's so dedicated. For weight training I carry her around in her pet crate virtually every where I go and we often play a mean game of tug-o-war. As for snacking, I barely have time to eat the 3 squares let alone any snacking. I used to eat a snack at 10:00 am and 3:00 pm at work but since she accompanies me to work there will be none of that because she has me run her outside every chance I get. I do get in a quick meal at lunch though and my dinners are usually pretty small since I start cooking and while I'm chasing after her half my food either burns or, for instance, the steak is done and I haven't even started the rice or broccoli. So, I just eat the steak and call it good. I get the feeling that this is all to get me warmed up for when she's a fully certified trainer (has all her shots) and has me outside footin’ it around the neighborhood.

So, in a way, I have kept my New Year's resolution to exercise more. No, it's not the gym and I know I'm not walking like I should, but for all intents and purposes chasing around a puppy IS more movement than I normally involve myself in. I do intend to walk her quite a bit but she can't go yet, vet's orders. I'm sure I'll find my way back to the gym again but for right now, I'm not ready. I know how crowded it will be with all the New Year's resolution makers and I'm not ready to go fight with a rock hard Barbie lookin princess over a treadmill because, honey, I will snap her like a twig. Anytime my arm is as big as someone's waist there is some built up resentment there and I might unleash it upon them if pushed ever so slightly to the edge. I feel it is in society's best interest if I just wait it out. I'm sure it'll be down to the die-hards anytime now at which time the equipment will be free'd up and I will again have to find another excuse...I mean, and I will be rarin' to go and ready to sweat. Until then, Lola will do just fine.

Tuesday, January 4, 2005

Bah FRICKIN humbug

It has come to my attention that when I triumphed over Thanksgiving and I challenged Christmas to a duel that I may have overstepped my bounds. I think I made Christmas angry because it came with such a determination to destroy my progress that I'm still left awe struck. Christmas is no joke, ya'll, and should not be toyed with.

Let's first address the week of Christmas shall we? Clearly our clients have had a VERY prosperous year because I have never seen so many attempts at ass kissing in all my days. It might be a slight exaggeration to suggest that chocolates, cookies, caramel corn, gift baskets, meat & cheese platters, nuts, and other goodies came in by the TRUCKLOAD but that's sure as hell how it seemed. That entire week I maintained a "Who cares? It's Christmas!" attitude and boy am I paying for it now. I didn't even get on the scale that Friday because I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that it would be an ugly UGLY thing. At the Christmas Eve festivities I didn't do too badly but, then again, I WAS stuffed from all the Taco Bell I had eaten for lunch. I ate so much of my mom's Parmesan Cheeseball on Christmas morning that I'm beginning to wonder if anyone else got any. Oh well, at least I was again too full for the Christmas Feast that followed.

Which brings me to New Year's week. I was on vacation. I had told myself when I started losing weight that if I could do well until my vacation I could treat myself to a lot of the things I hadn't had in so long. Well, treat myself I did. Pizza, chocolate, ice cream (though not my Ben & Jerry's), lots and lots of cake, Burger King, Taco Bell...it was madness. When I got on the scale last Friday it was time to be accountable for the last two weeks. I gained 5 pounds. FIVE!! But wait, there's more. Over the last 3 days I have gained, according to my not so friendly scale, 6 more. Now, there is some serious water retention goin on but 11 pounds in 2 weeks is just crazy talk. I'm going to have to kick some serious tail to make up for that.

So, what's my plan of attack you might be wondering? It's free to join Weight Watchers meetings right now so I braved the bitter cold weather and the biting wind last night and I made the trek over to my former meeting locale. It was the same leader that I had last time so there was some familiarity there. There was also a lady named Jane who used to help at my old Tuesday night meetings. She was there last night to help weigh in the mass of New Year's Resolution makers. She totally recognized me and made me feel ridiculously welcome. That's a lady who has lost 125 pounds on program and has maintained it for about 3 years. When I made the comment that I was "back again" she said, "Hey, that's ok, I rejoined many times before I finally did it." I didn't feel like such a Weight Watchers flunkie after she said that and I see in her my potential to really succeed on this program.

So, here I sit 4 days into the New Year and I refuse to quit. Just because I backtracked quite a bit doesn't mean I've lost the battle. Hey, what better time to get your first gain out of the way then Christmas? Now I've got extra ammo because I have meetings to weigh in at every week and someone that will be seeing whether or not I'm staying on track. When someone asks me how much weight I've lost AND when I report it here I'm still going to go by morning weigh in's because I refuse to report what me AND my clothes weigh (that's a whole nother level of scary). I might be feeling a little less fierce than usual but I'll get it back, don't you worry.